Screw-propeller.



J.LEOPOLD. SCREW PBOPELLER.

APPLICATION FILED IEB. 27, 1911.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES Q? INVENTOR J. LEOPOLD.

SGREW PROPELLBR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 27, 1911.

Fatented M11125, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES 31 I in 70R wolnwmdfflv w BY fi firm/21115;

aosnrn micron), on scorn BETHLEHEM, T0 STEPHEN naucsaa, or sour PENNSYLVANIA, .ASSIGNOR H BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA.

ONE-HALF soREW-PRQPELLER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed February 27, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:-

Be it known that l, JOSEPH LEoroLn, a subject of the King of Hungary, and resi' dent of South Bethlehem, in the county, of Northampton and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Im provements in Screw-Propellers, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in screw propellers for vessels, and more particularly to propellers having adjustable blades.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a screw propeller, the blades of which may be quickly and conveniently adjusted to any angle best adapted to special conditions of use, and in which the blades are connected to be readily and conveniently shifted for propelling the vessel forward or backward without the necessity of reversing or stopping the engine.

A further object of the invention is to construct a screw propeller, the blades of which may be set at such an angle relative to the axis of the propeller shaft, that the vessel will cometo stand still without stopping the rotation of the propeller blades.

With these and other objects in view,

which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood the same consists in the combination, arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter fully described, pointed out in the appended claim and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that many changes may be made in the size and proportion of the several parts and minor details 0t construction without departing from the spiritor sacrificing any of the advantages ot the.

invention.

A few of the many possible embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the ar companying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a. pair of propeller blades, constructed in accordance with the present invention, and the means for setting the same; Figs. 2 and 3 are side elevations of the blades, set to positions forstopping the vessel and re versing the direction of travel of the same, respectively; Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the propeller blades; Fig. 5 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a modification of the device; and Fig. 6 is a side elevation of Patented Mar. 5, 1912. Serial in. 611,110.

a modification of the setting means for the lades.

Referring 1 to 4, inclusive, the numeral 10 indicates the propeller jonrnaled ,in bearings 11 and 12, said bearings being attached to the hull of the vessel in any suitable manner. lit the outer end of the shaft is mounted a hub 13, to which propeller blades 14. and The blades are made plates of any suitable being proportionate to the sizeof the propellet. A tubular member 16 is slidably mounted upon the shaft 10, and held against in the form of oblong rotation by any suitable means (not shown. In the outer end of this in. the drawings). tubular member is formed a peripheral groove 17, which is engaged by lugs 18, 18 of rods 19, pivotallyattached at 20 to spindles 21, 21. These spindles are carried by the blades 14- and 15. The tubular member 16 carries upon its outer face a pin-22, which 24, pivoted at 25 to a support. The other end of this lever is formed as a segment gear 26, meshing with the screw threads 27 of a shaft 28, suitably journaled in bearings 29, 29. Upon'the shaft 28 is mounted a bevel gear 30, in mesh with a similar gear 31, which is mounted upon a. shaft 32, journaled in bearings 33, 33. To the shaft 32 is attached a hand-wheel 84. The shaft 32 is provided with screw threads 35, meshing with a segment gear 36, which is pivotally attached at 37 to a post 38. The segment now more particularly to Figs.

shaft of the vessel, which is 15 are pivoted.

metal, their thickness,

is engaged by the forked end of a lever gear 36 is provided with a graduated scale 39, while a stationary pointer 40 is attached to the post- 38.

Theoperation of this device is as follows: In Fig. 1 of the drawings, the blades let and 15 are shown set for the ahead direction of the vessel. In rotating the hand-wheel 34 and shifting thereby the tubular member 16 toward the blades, the same may be brought into the positions shown in Fig. 2, when there will be no propulsion as the blades operate edgewise on the water. In shifting the blades still further until they are brought into the positions shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the'water will have a motion opposite tothe direction created by the blades in their ahead positions, whereby the direction of travel of the vessel will be reunison,

.by reading the scale upon the segment 36,

guides 48 the guide through 'lar gear 44. The gear versed. The segments 26 and 36 are arranged in such a manner that they move in so that the operator will ascertain,

the angular position of the blades relative to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 10.

The leading edges of the oblong blades are always arranged at right angles to their axes of oscillation, that is to their pivots. As the propeller is rotated in one or the other direction, obviously one or the other longer side of the oblong forms the leading ed e.

i modification of the device is illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings, in which the blades are operatively connected with a ring 41, which is shiftably mounted upon the propeller shaft. This ring is operated the intermediary of suitable connections by the hand-wheel 34, which is mounted upon a shaft 42, to which is attached a bevel gear 43, meshing with a simi- 44 is provided with screw threads in its hub portion, which threads mesh with the screw threads 46 of a rod 47, which is s'hiftably arranged in and 49. A stop 50, coacting with 49, holds the bevel gear 44 against longitudinal movement. The connection between the rod 47 and the ring 41 is made by means of a lever 51, pivoted at 52 to a bracket 53; the other end of said lever being connected by means of an arm 54 to the ring 41.

The operation of this modified device is obvious. ring 41 will be shifted in one or the other direction, and thereby the. angular position of the blades varied. If the propeller is arranged upon a small boat, obviously, for shifting the ring 41, .a simple lever can.

he made use of, as illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings. This lever 55 is pivoted at 56 to a suitable bracket and connected by means of a bar 59 with the shiftable ring. 41.

WVhat I claim is:

with a propeller shaft, of a hub upon one end thereof, a stem passing through said shaft and hub, flat propeller blades provided with holes extending throughout the In rotating the hand-wheel 34,the'

. In a reversible propeller, the combinationg width of the same,said stem passing through said holes, holding thereby said blades oscillatably on said stem at diametrically opposite points with respect to the axis of said shaft, a reciprocable member carried ,by said shaft, connecting rodspivoted to said blades and engaging said reciprocable member, and means for operating said reciprocable member, at will, whereby said blades are shifted around saidstem.

Signed at South Bethlehem, in the county of Northampton and State of Pennsylvania, this 17 day of February,-A. D. 1911.

JOSEPH LEOPOLD.

Witnesses:

D. B. CSENTERICZ, STEPHEN LoUssoR. 

